Ross Rogers Golf Complex - Mustang Course Review

Texas Outside Rating: 8.3

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Amarillo
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Ross Rogers Golf Complex - Mustang Course Review

Review of Ross Rogers Golf Complex Mustang Course

During the depression, the Work Progress Administration provided the funding for building a new golf course which opened in 1940 and was named after the mayor of Amarillo, Ross Rogers.  Another nine was opened in 1959 and the final nine in 1978.  The courses were originally named East & West but renovations to both courses over the years have resulted in significant changes and a renaming of the courses to Mustang and Wildhorse.  

Each of the courses is a little different and has it's own unique personality and characteristics, for example:

  • Mustang is now a links style course, thanks to over 300 trees being removed during a renovation in 2013 - this 18 is characterized by nasty bunkers and wide fairways with thick challenging roughs
  • Wildhorse is more traditional and straightforward and since it's renovation in 2004 has been named the Best Course in Amarillo by the Amarillo Globe News and the Peoples Survey every year since it opened

Mustang Golf Course at the Ross Rogers Golf Complex has undergone a number of changes since it opened in the 40's.  The most recent change was to remove over 300 trees, several of which died during the drought, giving the course a more open links style look and feel.  It still has a somewhat straightforward and traditional feel to it with several holes where you can see the flag and what you're up against, several side by side holes, and most holes straight ahead with little trouble besides the thick rough and 19 deep bunkers. 

A lot of the holes are straight ahead but you will find some minor ups and downs, several blind shots, and contoured, rolling, and sloping fairways, plus wind - all of which can affect your score.   The back nine was home to our favorite holes:

  • #11 is a fun slightly downhill 320 yard par 4 and it will temp you to bring out the big dog and try to drive the green - but if you spray it right you're in the trees or lake and a bogie will be the most likely score
  • #12 is 192 yards from the tips and it's all carry over the lake
  • the 585 yard par 5 18th hole will make you want to come back and play this 18 again - a blind slightly uphill shot off the tee with a huge bunker in your landing zone and then 5 more bunkers and a slight dog leg right shot to the green

When we played in August, we where shocked at the conditions at Ross Rogers Golf Complex - the fairways were lush and plush, the rough was thick and verydeep grass, and the greens were near perfect!  What a joy to play!

The fairways are gently rolling and contoured and most are wide and forgiving - but if you miss you're in a very thick challenging rough. 

The Bent Grass greens at Mustang were near perfect, a tad small, and a little slower than we would have expected.  Most of the greens have manageable slope and undulation, they ran true, and held the ball well.  Hitting them was challenging for us and the fringe was thick around the greens and not puttable. 

Stay away from the bunkers - they are steep and deep with heavy but fluffy sand.  The back side of the bunkers are also challenging with a very thick and deep rough.

Bottom line - a fantastic value, excellent conditions, and an opportunity to turn in a good score if you can keep it in the fairway or if you have an excellent thick rough shot!

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Black 7,227 74.7 131
Blue 6,206 70.0 122
White 5,813 68.1 114
Gold 6,640 72.0 126
Red 5,321 71.4 125

Course Information

Greens Type:
Bent
Greens Condition
10.0
Greens Difficulty
8.0
Fairway Condition
9.5
Bunker Condition
9.5
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Yes
Scorecard
Beware of water on 2 holes and the 19 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
8.3 out of 10
Beauty:
7.0
Difficulty:
7.5
Variety:
7.0
Fun to Play:
9.0
Value:
9.3
Condition:
9.5
Front Nine Rating:
8.3
Back Nine Rating:
8.3
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $37.00 to $37.00

The pro shop is well stocked, the practice facilities are adequate, and the staff is very friendly. We didn't have a chance to try the food. Pace of play can be very slow on the weekends.

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Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard Rating

The Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this:  links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses! 
Texas Outside rates courses on the following:

  • Beauty – tall trees, rolling hills, beautiful houses, waterfalls, and similar stuff would score high; a 1 would be flat, bushes or cactus instead of trees, and some grass but mostly weeds
  • Difficulty – a straight, 300 yard par 4 with no traps or hazards, no out of bounds or water would probably get a 1; if it is a 460 yard par 4 over two ravines, with water along one side, natural hazards on the other, strategically placed traps or that dreaded tree right in the middle of the fairway, we are talking a 10. 
  • Variety – what would you give a course where all the holes looked and played exactly the same (“I thought we just played that hole!”); were side-by-side, which is good for finding or dodging other people’s balls, but not much fun; and you can see the flag from every tee box?  That’s right, it gets a 1.
  • Fun Scale – a 10 is where you walk off the course and say “now that was fun” and you can’t wait to get back, or you immediately turn around and play another 18 holes
  • Value – a 5 is $50 to $60, a 10 is $20 to $30, and 1 is $200 or so – of course all of this is dependent upon how you liked the course.  For example, if a run down, boring municipal course, with six players on each hole was only $10; it would still get a value rating of 1.
  • Condition – this one’s pretty easy – what condition are the fairways. A 10 commands very lush perfectly manicured fairways, compared to a 1, which has fire ants, weeds, and more dirt than grass!
  • Condition of Greens and Difficulty – very hard to read greens with lots of undulation and tough pin placement, rate very high on the difficulty scale.  Condition is self-explanatory.  

All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course.  In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40.  We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.